


A Daydream Away

by xXdark_passengerXx



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: M/M, One Shot, One-Sided Attraction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-11-06 17:57:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17944430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXdark_passengerXx/pseuds/xXdark_passengerXx
Summary: ❝i'll keep you a daydream away; just watch from a safe place so i never have to lose❞- ONE SHOT -Gray and Natsu have been friends for so long, but Gray feels something a little more for the pinkette. The problem isn't how he's going to confess his feelings... because he doesn't ever plan to. The real issue he has is containing his feelings and trying his best to keep this secret from Natsu. He wouldn't do anything to risk whatever it is he currently has with Natsu.





	A Daydream Away

**Author's Note:**

> original at wattpad.com/xxdark_passengerxx

_**i wish you could see your face right now 'cause you're grinning like a fool** _

Gray watched Natsu laugh as he leaned back in his seat. His eyes were closed and he was clutching his stomach over the seatbelt. Gray wished he could've stared for even a minute longer, but he had to look back at the road to make sure they wouldn't crash. He was smiling; not because of what was said, but because Natsu's laugh was contagious.

   Natsu had seemed to calm down a little as he straightened up in his seat. "So, where are we off to again?"

     "The bar," he replied as he kept his eyes on the road, knowing if he looked at Natsu, he wouldn't be able to look away. "You turned 19 three weeks ago and you still haven't had your first shot yet. Finally, you agreed. I thought your stupid arse would never be brave enough to drink."

    "Hey!" Natsu yelled as he crossed his arms. "I just never had time to go out and drink, Stupid Ice Princess! I had midterms last week, and unlike you, I would like to not fail my classes."

     "Whatever, point is that you finally decided to drink. I can now go to bars with you and we can have millions of drinking competitions, and you can dance like the idiot you are, Flame-Brain," he quickly added the insult, hoping his best friend wouldn't realize the slight love behind his words. Right,  _slight_  love.

     "I'll show you who's an idiot, Stripper!"

     "If I'm a stripper, then I'm a better dancer, right?"

     "Don't be a smart arse, Ice Block!"

     "Shut it, Squinty Eyes."

**_and we're sitting on your kitchen floor on a tuesday afternoon_ **

      Natsu shut up after that. He pouted as he looked out his window, grumbling curse words at the other. His eyes tried to follow the scenery, but it left his eyes too quickly. "I don't even know why I agreed to this."

     "I do," Gray laughed as he remembered their conversation from a few days earlier.

_"Snow Queen!" Natsu yelled as he turned around and threw some of the raw cookie dough, which was mixed with the eggs and milk, at Gray. Gray, who had been leaning against the counter on his phone, stopped what he was doing as he tried to process what his 'friend' had done. Once he felt the dough slide down the side of his face, he set his phone on the counter and clenched his fist. "I told you to put the eggs back!"_

_"I didn't even want cookies," he complained as he glared at the pinkette. "You can't always just drag me into your baking just 'cause you get lonely!"_

_"Even though you're extremely annoying, I'll admit that you're good company," Natsu confessed as he immediately turned around. Gray slightly grimaced when he hid his face, since Gray had wanted to stare into the other's green eyes for a little while longer. "So, whether you like it or not, you're helping!"_

_Gray grit his teeth as he picked up the carton of eggs before freezing suddenly. He smirked as he opened the carton and took out an egg. He gripped it in his hand before looking back at Natsu's turned figure, who was putting the batter onto the cookie sheet. He pulled his arm back before throwing the egg at Natsu's head, staining his pink hair. Gray stifled a laugh as he saw Natsu drop the spoon of batter and turn around, glaring at the raven._

_"What the hell, Ice Cube?" Natsu screamed as he stuck his hand in his hair, feeling the icky goop. "Aw, gross!"_

_"Next time, don't you dare throw that batter on my face," Gray threatened, another egg already in his hand, which Natsu noticed. "Any last words?"_

_"Wa-Wait, Gray! This stuff never comes out of hair— trust me!" Natsu pleaded as he bent down behind the island, hiding from Gray. His head still peeped out, watching the raven. Gray stood on the other side of the island with his smirk. "Come on!"_

_An idea popped into Gray's head as his smirk became bigger. "You know what? Okay. I'll stop, but only if you agree to finally come with me to the bar."_

_"I don't," he hesitated, but Gray held the egg higher, giving him a silent threat. Groaning, he stood up as he refused to look at Gray. "Fine... Just put that away. I don't trust you."_

"Yeah, yeah," Natsu rolled his eyes as he stared out of the window right in front of him, "Just be glad I agreed to this."

**_it doesn't matter when we get back to doing what we do_ **

"And we're here!" Gray announced as he got out of the car. Natsu hesitantly followed after, staring up at the building. It was dark outside, so the bright, neon light of the name really stood out. "Igneel will finally begin to realize you're not a saint."

"Shut up," Natsu hissed out as he snarled at the other. Gray shrugged with a smirk as he walked into the bar. Natsu was a few steps behind him, staring up at the title of the bar. When he looked back in front of him, he saw Gray already showing his I.D. and entering the bar. "Hey! Wait up, Ice Princess!"

     The two walked in, the loud music blasting into their ears. Neither minded, since they listened to their own music extremely loud. Gray was sure his hearing had been damaged. Natsu, however, would only smirk and say his hearing probably was enhanced after all that.

"Wow," Natsu loudly said as he looked around the place. It was much livelier than he expected it to be. There were a lot more lights and a lot less space than he assumed there would have been. A girl had tried to walk past him, but bumped into his shoulder, not even muttering an apology. "Don't people like to get close?"

"Shut up, Ash-For-Brains." Gray rolled his eyes as he grabbed his friend's forearm and dragged him to the bar. Gray and him sat on the stools, as Gray stared intently at Natsu. The latter began to squirm in his seat, feeling extremely uncomfortable by the other's sudden gaze. "I think your first drink should be a shot of Gin... or Vodka. Tequila?"

"Um, maybe just a," Natsu wondered aloud as he began to think of every drink he had ever heard anyone speak of. He tried to think of something that didn't seem too heavy. Either way, he didn't think drinking would be something he did too often.

Gray snapped his fingers as he called the bartender over. "A Bloody Mary, please...with extra spice."

**_'cause right now could last forever; just as long as i'm with you_ **

He nodded and began to put the drink together. Natsu turned to Gray and slapped his arm, maybe a little too harshly. "Freakin' moron!"

"Says you," Gray argued back as he rubbed his slightly sore arm. "Jesus Christ, that hurt."

    "Cheese and Rice," Natsu corrected with a wink as he leaned back a bit with a smirk. However, his smirk fell when a shot glass was placed in front of him. "Oh, uh, thanks, I guess."

    Gray, ignoring everything that just happened, prompted Natsu to try it. Natsu had said he didn't want to drink alone, so he made Gray order something as well. Once Gray got his drink, the two of them both raised the glass and drank whatever was inside.

    "Gross," Natsu whined as he stuck his tongue out. "That hurt my throat! People drink this crap for fun?"

      "It's not crap," Gray defended as he called the bartender over, asking to fill his glass again. "You may not understand yet, child, but in due time, you will."

    "Shut up; I'm only a few months younger... and a year." Natsu rolled his eyes as he watched Gray down his second shot. He internally cringed, but shook it off. Before he could say anything else, a song he recognized started playing. "Hey, I know this!"

    "Uh, good for you?" Gray raised an eyebrow, a little bit confused of why Natsu was so happy for knowing a song.

    "I don't know 'bout you, but I think I'm going to head to the dance floor for a bit. I feel like that's the better half of this club," he muttered the last part quietly, but Gray still heard it. "You in?"

    Gray waved his hand off to Natsu. "Yeah, as if. I'm going to drink a little before. You have to be drunk enough to know the real fun."

     Natsu didn't bother to retort, and instead, he spun on his heels and headed towards the crowd. Gray watched Natsu apologize to the people as he squeezed his way throwing the waves of people. Gray silently laughed as he shook his head to himself, taking a sip of his drink. His eyes never left Natsu.

**_you're just a daydream away_ **

He watched as Natsu's smile grew. Gray wondered how he could never be embarrassed. No matter what he did, he would always just laugh it off. Right now, Natsu was dancing alone, and he was okay with that. Gray would never have the guts to dance alone, especially in a club.

Natsu laughed, and even though it wasn't audible for Gray, it was like his laugh was screamed into his ear. Gray could hear it; the everlasting smile and carefree laughter echoing through the night. He was sure everyone heard his best friend's happy demeanour. It was contagious. Gray saw it all the time when they would be walking down the steers; Natsu would be grinning and onlookers and people who walked passed them would smile, too.

Gray wanted nothing more than to dance with him— to smile and laugh with the other. Not just for this night, but for the rest of their lives. He wanted to squeeze the laughter out of the other, he wanted to show how much he loved the pinkette through kisses, he wanted to see the same kind of love running through Natsu's eyes. Gray wanted to hold his hand and never let go— Gray wanted to be happy with him. All of that was impossible; it was all just a foolish dream. Gray had woken up from his a long time ago. He realized there was no way any of it could ever be true. That's what he liked to believe, anyway.

He loved Natsu, and that was why none of his desires could become a reality. He couldn't lose Natsu. If that meant he couldn't be selfish, then so be it. Whenever he looked into Natsu's green eyes, he saw love, but it was only a friendly and brotherly kind. It wasn't what Gray felt for him. He realized he would never see the same, loving gaze in Natsu's eyes.

He bit his lip as he watched Natsu dance to the song. He wanted to get up and dance with the other, even if it were just as friends, but he knew that if he did, he wouldn't be able to resist kissing the other or wrapping his arm around the other's waist— he just wouldn't want to ever stop.

**_i wouldn't know what to say if i had you; and i'll keep you a daydream away_ **

Gray sighed deeply as he shot down the last of his drink. He had a few shots, and it made him tipsy enough to get up and walk towards Natsu. Natsu didn't deserve to have a bad night because of him. It was his first night at a bar, Gray had to make it memorable. So, with a drink in hand, he made his way to the pinkette.

He weaved his way through the drunk and sweaty bodies, not bothering to apologize as Natsu had. An apology wouldn't do anything, it wouldn't benefit him or them. It didn't matter if he came off as rude because he doubted he would ever see them again. Being rude to strangers was the least of his concerns right now.

Finally, he was standing right beside the dancing pink-haired man. The latter gave him a smirk. "So, the ice princess finally decided to come down from their tower, eh?"

"Shut up," Gray retorted as he crossed his arms a little awkwardly, since his drink was still in his hand. "I'm always here alone. Now that you're here, might as well make use of it, right?"

"You're so boring!" Natsu complained as he put his hands on Gray's wrists, causing the other to tense up and stare down at the contact between them. "You're always so stiff. You said you come here a lot, right? Do you just drink? Is that really it? Tell me, how many times have you danced here?"

"I," Gray began, but Natsu gave him a knowing look with an eyebrow raised, his smirk still plastered across his face. Gray mentally cursed, wanting to kiss the other's smirk. "Fine, you got me. I haven't ever been on the dance floor, I think. I may have come here when I was completely drunk."

Natsu just shrugged as he uncrossed the other's arms. Because of the sudden action, Gray tried to jerk his arm away, but he wasn't successful. Instead, his drink ended up going all over Natsu's shirt. The other just grimaced as he stared down and shrugged again. "Well, now I smell as drunk as you."

**_just watch from a safe place, so i never have to lose_ **

     Natsu's smile returned as he tried to get Gray to dance, moving their now intertwined hands around. Gray just groaned as he felt some heat rush to his cheeks. He looked down in attempt to hide it from Natsu, but he instantly regretted it. His gaze fell to Natsu's hips and he shot his eyes up, staring at the ceiling. He didn't know if Natsu saw him or not, but right now, he just wanted to curl up and hide under his blanket... with his arm around Natsu's waist as they stared into each other's eyes.

     Gray cursed at himself. Every thought he had involved Natsu. He was going to go insane if he didn't get out of here now. He looked to Natsu, who was still trying to get Gray to dance. Gray bit the inside of his cheek when he saw how happy the other was. Gray couldn't take that away from him. He didn't think anyone could once they got a look at Natsu.

     "You really like this, don't you?" Gray asked as he tried mimicking Natsu's moves, in hopes of making the latter smile more. "Huh, who knew?"

    "Not so much of the alcohol," Natsu admitted as he shrugged. "But the dancing and feeling free— I think I'm in love."

     Natsu laughed as Gray froze. Natsu didn't say anything wrong, but Gray couldn't help but react the way he did when he heard the word 'love'. Gray hated himself for this; he felt so pathetic. Maybe it was because, just for a second, he thought Natsu was speaking about him.

    "Ha, yeah," Gray muttered as he let out a silent sigh. "I'm going to go get another drink. Do you want one?"

     "Nope, I'm all right. I'll just be here." Natsu smiled and Gray nodded his head and turned around. "Don't take too long, Popsicle."

    Gray walked back to the bar and he sat down with a long, deep sigh. He put his head in his hands as he tried to calm down. Hanging out with Natsu had never been this exhausting. It never took this much effort to try to just be friends and nothing more. Maybe he was starting to grow impatient— or he was just loving the other even more, if that were even possible.

    "Damn it," he whispered as he slapped his hand against the bar top. "Hey, get me an Everclear."

    He saw the bartender give him a look, but did as he was told. Gray tapped his fingers against the bar top as he waited for his drink. All that ran through his mind were the same seven words;  _you're in love with your best friend._  His drink was placed in front of him and he immediately shot it down his throat.

**_we would go out on the weekend to escape our busy lives_ **

     After downing a few more shots, he wobbly stood up and tried to find the pinkette. He wasn't as drunk as he usually would be, but drunk enough to not remember how to walk in a straight line. He still had a bit of a conscious, so he didn't have to worry much about admitting anything to Natsu.

    "Natsu!" he screamed once he saw the other. Natsu turned around and gave him a big smile. "How the hell are you not tired?"

    Natsu shrugged and got a good look at Gray. "You all right? You seem like you're about to pass out."

     "I'm fine," he waved off with his hands. "Let's sit down for a bit until I'm a bit more sober and you're more rested." Natsu nodded and the two of them sat down at a booth. Natsu and Gray stared out at the crowd in complete silence.

    "I wouldn't complain very much if you brought me here every once in a while," Natsu confessed. Gray furrowed his eyebrows as he turned his gaze to the pinkette, who was still staring at the dancing bodies beside them. "It's actually a bit nice."

    Gray hummed in agreement, his head falling to his shoulder. "Yeah," he slurred out. "I promise to take you wherever, whenever."

    "Well, I appreciate that." Natsu looked around and then checked his phone. "This was fun, really, it was; but it's almost two. You wanna head home?"

    Gray nodded as he stood up and followed Natsu out. The two laughed as they walked through the parking lot, towards Gray's car. Gray watched the fog come out of Natsu's mouth as his laughter filled his ears. Natsu stopped in front of Gray's car. He waited for the raven to open it, but he never did. Natsu stopped laughed as he stared into Gray's icy, blue eyes.

     Gray realized that Natsu was staring back, so he coughed to the side. When he averted his attention, he saw a woman walking away from a man as he tried to talk to her. Gray snickered as he nudged his chin towards them. Natsu turned his head and saw the two.

**_and we'd laugh at all the douchebag guys chasing down their desperate wives_ **

      Natsu smiled. It was their thing. They would see a lot of couples arguing, but then they would be kissing within the next thirty seconds. Natsu and him would laugh at them, wondering if that was what love really was.

    "Listen," Gray quietly said as the two of them listened to the couple argue.

     "Honey," the man tried to speak, but was interrupted by his spouse.

    "No, I'm done! All you ever say is a load of bull!" the woman screamed as she turned around. "This is what, the fourth woman this year?"

    "Third," he corrected before shaking his head. "Just hear me out! I love you, and only you."

     "I love you, too, but I want to be the only one you see," the woman cried out as she looked down. The man walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back. "Please."

     "You are. I promise to make you feel loved."

     Gray snickered again as he shook his head at the couple. "That's the most pathetic one we've seen."

    Natsu shrugged as he sadly stared at the couple walk back to their car. "I don't know I actually think it's sad. The guy's been cheating on her, and she keeps forgiving him. He clearly doesn't love her as much as she thinks, but she can't let go. It would be better for the both of them to go their own ways."

   "Yeah," Gray agreed as he dug into his pocket to take out his keys. Once he did, he felt a slight dizziness in his head. "Aw, frick. I forgot."

    Natsu snatched the keys from Gray hands. Gray was going to protest, but Natsu shoved his hand into Gray's face. "I'll drive. I promise not to crash it. Yeah, I had a drink, but it's like I didn't consume anything. Now, get in the car."

    Gray shook his head as he laughed at the other and walked to the passenger side, stumbling in. He groaned as he put on his seatbelt and slumped in his seat. "Gosh, I'm so freakin' tired."

     "You should've asked to leave earlier then," Natsu retorted as he started up the car. Gray sighed at his friend's ignorance. He would never understand; Natsu was smiling and Gray wanted to see him like that for as long as he could.

**_i would drink a little too much; you'd offer me a ride_ **

      Before Natsu began driving the car, he took out his phone and connected the aux cord to it. He opened Spotify and turned to Gray. "Any suggestions?"

    Gray closed his eyes and thought about it. "Have you got any songs by Pierce The Veil downloaded?"

    "Hell yeah, who do you think I am?" Natsu teased as he decided to play one of the slower songs, considering what the time was and how tired the two of them were. "I literally played their songs a few days ago."

    "Whatever," Gray muttered as he stared up front. Natsu began the car and they exited the parking lot, driving onto the main road. "Thank God, we don't have any classes tomorrow."

    "Yeah, but that means we can play Paint Twister all day," Natsu grinned as he took a glance at Gray, who was already staring at him. Though it was dark, Gray could still see the shine in his green eyes.

     "Or maybe we,"  _could just stay in bed and cuddle all day_  is what he wanted to say. It's what he's been wanting to do for so long. "We could just watch Netflix on my laptop."

    Gray smirked to himself. He had said that on purpose, since it meant the two of them would be sitting side-by-side on his bed. Whenever they watched Netflix on Gray's laptop, their shoulders would be touching, as would a bit of their legs. Gray could practically hear the other breathe because of how close they would be. Gray loved the close contact, even if it never meant anything to the pinkette. Seeing Natsu's smile up close was more than amazing. He loved how he could stare so close without the pink-haired man realizing.

    "That's... not bad either," Natsu softly spoke as he continued to drive, his eyes on the road. "Right now, however, I just want to sleep. I don't even think I can brush my teeth, which means my breath is going to smell like crap tomorrow."

    "Jesus Christ, it's not crap!" Gray argued through his slurred words. His eyes were beginning to grow heavy, but he refused to let them close and fall asleep.

    "Cheese and Rice!" Natsu corrected as he shook his head. "When's it ever going to get through your brain?"

    Before Gray could retort, they had made it in front of Gray's house. Natsu parked on the driveway. Gray complained, since he always reverse-parked his car, which wasn't something Natsu was good at. Natsu rolled his eyes and said he could do it very well.

    "Anyway, I'm going to head out to the bus stop. I'll see you tomorrow," Natsu waved as he spun on his heels to leave.

     "Wait!" Gray called as he grabbed Natsu's forearm. "Your shirt's pretty dirty, and I don't think the buses are running this late today. Stay the night, like you usually do when you're too lazy and want to procrastinate."

**_and i would offer you a t-shirt, and you would stay another night_ **

      "You know what? Fine," Natsu shrugged as he began to walk towards the front door. "Don't complain when your fridge is completely empty."

    Gray groaned as he followed the other. Natsu opened the door, since the house keys were on the same ring as the car's, and the two walked in.

"I still can't believe it," Natsu said as he shook his head, turning around to stare at Gray. "You're a university student living alone in this house. Why spend so much money on so much isolation? You could easily pay off your loans if you lived in an apartment."

"Yeah, well—"

Natsu gasped as his face lit up. "Sell this house and live with me in my apartment! We could be roommates!"

"You've suggested this before, and I've always said no." Gray wanted to live with Natsu more than anything, but he couldn't; it would be even harder to hide how he felt. "Anyway, I just want to be prepared for when I find someone. I want to share this house with them and start a family... I just dream for it."

Gray wanted to tell Natsu that he wasn't waiting to find someone, but just dreaming of the impossible. He wanted to share this house with Natsu. He wanted to have pointless arguments in this house, he wanted to chase him around in this house, he wanted to start a family with Natsu in  _this_  house. A man can dream, he always thought. A foolish man.

"Well, I'm sure your future partner will be happy for this," Natsu assured with a smile.   
Gray didn't give a smile back as he began to walk upstairs. If only he knew, Gray thought.

Gray always liked and disliked when Natsu said, 'future partner.' He appreciated how Natsu didn't assume his sexuality, since the two of them just never spoke about it very much. Gray had a feeling that Natsu knew about him liking guys. However, he hated how Natsu didn't know that 'his future partner' was him. Gray wanted to so badly scream, 'I want it to be you! It should be you!'

Gray headed into his room as he opened his closet, staring at all of his shirts. He picked one out and tossed it to Natsu, who caught it with ease. "Here, as my apology for ruining your shirt."

Natsu thanked him as he went to the bathroom. Gray sometimes wished he would change in the bedroom and not bother to walk all the way to the bathroom.

**_but you're just a daydream away_ **

     Natsu walked back out with a toothy grin sprawled across his face. Gray rolled his eyes as he watched Natsu go into his closet to pull out a blanket. Gray hesitantly stood up, causing Natsu to give him a look of confusion.

    "You could, uh," Gray slowly said as he tried to think of how to word what he wanted to say without making it sound too awkward. After all, they were rivals, no matter how much Gray wanted it to change. "You could sleep on the...bed."  _In my arms._

    "Nah, it's fine," the pinkette declined as he shrugged his shoulder. "I've slept on your couch so many times, it feels like my own bed. It's not even uncomfortable anymore; the opposite, actually."

He let out a small chuckle as Gray nervously smiled and nodded his head. Of course he would say no. Every single time he slept over, he always crashed on the couch. Gray felt like an idiot for thinking it would be different this time—for having such a hopeless dream.

    "Right, okay," Gray quickly said as he shook his head at his stupid idea, dismissing his foolish thoughts. "Yeah, you go do that. I'm guessing you're super tired now. I wouldn't want to keep you... from sleeping."

Gray cursed at his own awkwardness. It didn't matter what kind of feelings he had for the other; Natsu was still Natsu. Their conversations —which were one of Gray's favourite things — could stay the same. He knew Natsu appreciated the bickering and the comfortable atmosphere between them. If Gray changed that, he might lose Natsu. It was how his mind worked. All thoughts regarding Natsu were always the  _'what if'_ s and the ' _worst case scenarios.'_

Natsu smiled gratefully as he made his way to the living room, ignoring all things unusual. "Thanks a lot, Iceberg. See ya in the morning."

Gray watched his figure retreat. Once he was sure the other was gone, he plopped onto his bed and let out a loud groan, his hands over his face as his legs dangled off the bed. Why couldn't he either just be with Natsu or not have any of these feelings?

**_i wouldn't know what to say if i had you; and i'll keep you a daydream away_ **

When Gray awoke, it wasn't because of the bright, morning sun hitting his face, or the beautiful singing of the birds, but because of the snickering coming from a familiar man—a man Gray was too familiar with.

Gray shot his eyes open as he glared at Natsu, who sat beside him. He currently held a Sharpie in his left hand and his mouth as covered with the back of his right hand. Suddenly, he burst out laughing, falling off of the bed in the process. This time, Gray snickered.

With a sigh, the raven got up and rubbed his face. "What is it this time?" he asked in a hoarse voice as he walked towards his mirror. "It can't be anything dirty, since you've done that so many times. I've got this small feeling you decided to be original today."

"I'm sure you'll like it." Natsu stood up from the floor as he closed the marker. He bit his lip to contain his laugh as he watched the expression form on Gray's face.

"You're so immature, I swear," Gray whispered as he saw the word sprawled across his forehead. He couldn't understand why Natsu was laughing so much. "Really? Bitc—"

He was interrupted by Natsu's loud laughter, though Gray wasn't complaining. Natsu's laughter was able to stop him from anything he was doing, whether it was work or cooking—or even just watching T.V. Gray would freeze and just take a moment to appreciate the soft laughs or the hyena-like laughter—it depended. No matter what kind it was, it was still Natsu's laugh; and that was enough for Gray to smile fondly and just listen.

Once Natsu settled down, Gray looked at the clock. His jaw dropped as he gawked at it in disbelief. "What the hell, Ash-For-Brains?"

Natsu hummed as he followed Gray's gaze. "Huh, what?'

"I thought you were tired! So tired that you couldn't do  _anything_!" he hissed as he put his hands in his hair, wanting to rip it out. Leave it to Natsu for having Gray begging for his love one minute, and wanting to punch his pretty face off in the next. "So tell me...is there a reason why you drew on my face at five in the morning?"

Five wasn't that early for some people, but considering they just drank a few hours ago, getting two hours of sleep wasn't something Gray wanted. He didn't understand how Natsu was so energetic. It was his first drink; where was his hangover?

**_just watch from a safe place so i never have to lose_ **

****Natsu shrugged a shoulder as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I got a little bored. So, I decided to bug you!"

Gray sighed as he walked out of his room, Natsu following behind him. Gray disappeared somewhere, leaving Natsu to stand around in his kitchen. When the former returned, he had a bottle of Tequila in his hands.

"Thanks to you, I can't go back to bed—"

"Mission accomplished." Natsu grinned.

Gray shook his head at him as he held up the bottle. "I hear you're bored? What about some shots?" He raised his eyebrows with a smug smirk, slightly shaking the bottle in his hands.

"Ew," Natsu said as he did a fake gag. "Can't we just watch a movie or something?"

"Fine," Gray agreed as he placed the bottle on the counter. He was already forming a plan in his mind for later. "Which movie?"

"Romeo and Juliet—the one with Leonardo DiCaprio," Natsu rushed out his words as his voice went higher in excitement. "You've gotta admit; it's a pretty good movie."

Gray rolled his eyes. "All right, go get it set up and stuff. I'll make snacks or whatever."

Gray took out a bag of popcorn and placed it into the microwave, leaving it for two minutes. Once he did, he gathered what he needed; lime and salt. He let out a devil's smile as he brought everything to the coffee table in the living room, where Natsu was trying to figure his CD player out.

"You do realize it's not plugged in."

"I knew that."

**_we never stood a chance out there, shooting love in real time_ **

****Gray quickly ran back to the kitchen to grab the popcorn, after dumping it into a bowl. He popped one into his mouth as he sat on the couch, watching Natsu continue to struggle. Gray saw the furrow in Natsu's eyebrows and internally screamed. He looked cute as he tried to eject the CD player and Gray wanted to kiss him badly at the moment. Then again, was there ever a moment Gray didn't want to kiss Natsu?

To stop himself from doing so, he decided to tease Natsu. "You need to power it on first."

"I knew that," was Natsu's only reply as he powered the thing on. It was said quietly, but Gray heard it loudly. He laughed unwillingly, too caught up in Natsu's frustration. His frustration wasn't so bad when it wasn't directed at him. Natsu heard him and assumed the other was mocking him. "Shut up."

"Do you know how to place the CD in or do you need me to tell you how?"

Natsu grumbled at him to shut up again before he inserted the disc. Once he did, he grabbed the remote from Gray's coffee table and clicked 'play', dropping onto Gray's couch. Gray couldn't help but feel a little nervous at having Natsu sit so closely to him, probably less than half a metre away from him. Luckily, Natsu interrupted his inner turmoil when his gaze fell to the bottle of Tequila, lime, and jar of salt.

"Freakin' Ice Princess," Natsu whined.

"Shut up and lick your hand," Gray demanded, ignoring how odd it sounded.

Natsu's cheeks flared up as he stuttered. "Wha–What?"

"Lick your hand," Gray said again, but a bit more slow. "It's fun, I promise. I even chose my cheapest bottle of Tequila."

**_so we'll take it over ice tonight with a little salt and a little lime_ **

Hesitantly, Natsu licked his hand with a look of confusion. Gray was fine until Natsu actually did what he asked. He watched as Natsu's tongue ran up his hand and he began to regret doing this already. Natsu stared at Gray expectantly, waiting for the next set of instructions.

"You, uh," he forgot what to do. His mind was replaying the scene that had just occurred moments ago. "Then, you put salt over it, lick it, down a shot of Fajita– Tequila! You take a shot of Tequila and then you bite into the lime."

It wasn't how he wanted to explain it. He wanted to make it sound fun, but that was clearly not what he did. He hated at how dumb he was acting. All Natsu had done was do what was asked of him. Gray now understood why Natsu was hesitant about it.

Even though Gray had explained it pretty tediously, Natsu followed his set of instructions anyway. Gray watched closely as Natsu sprinkled the salt onto his hand. Gray poured in the Tequila into a shot glass as he refused to watch Natsu lick his hand again. Gray gave him the shot, which Natsu downed and he bit into the lime, maybe a bit too hardly.

"And that's how it's done," he bragged as he rubbed his lime-juiced hands on his pants. "That was awful."

"You're welcome." Gray laughed as Natsu gave him a glare. "And before you say anything, I'm not doing it. I've done it enough times. Maybe one day, you can come with me to a party and watch me do some of these shots there."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "You know what? Fine. I would love to see you suffer."

"Yeah, yeah, just watch the movie." Gray turned towards the screen, a small smile threatening to appear on his face. This is why he loved talking to Natsu; the latter was just so easy to talk to. It was always comfortable with him— even if they were fighting. Gray couldn't tell if it was because of their relationship or if it was because it was just Natsu's personality; could it have been both?

**_you're just a daydream away_ **

****"Isn't it crazy?" Natsu asked in the middle of the movie.

Gray hummed, blinking as he realized he was staring at Natsu again. It had happened several times, but he couldn't stop himself, especially since Natsu was oblivious to his stares. Gray tried to figure out which scene was playing currently; Act III Scene v. "What?"

"This entire play happens in the span of five days and they literally kill themselves for each other in the end," Natsu explained in disbelief as he shook his head, eating another handful of popcorn.

"It's what love makes you do, right?" Gray shrugged as he tried focusing on the movie. "Makes you do crazy things."

Gray couldn't imagine what he would do if Natsu died. Even if he didn't develop the  _more-than-friends_  feelings, Natsu was still his best friend— had been for over a decade. His world would literally end if Natsu were gone. It was a world he never wanted to imagine again.

"Do you really think they were in love?" the pinkette asked. "Think about it; Juliet's fifteen and Romeo has to be a few years older, probably seventeen or eighteen. They stared into each other's eyes and declared they were in love. They didn't even know each other's names! It was lust, not love. Doesn't that drive you insane?"

Gray couldn't understand what he was hearing. He knew Natsu was a passionate believer in his opinions, but he never thought he would have such a strong opinion in love.

"Now that you say that, it makes more sense." Gray then stopped whatever he was thinking and turned to Natsu. "I thought this was your favourite movie."

"Any movie with Leonardo DiCaprio is my favourite," Natsu laughed out. "Yeah, but it is. Even though it frustrates me to no end, it's more of the play that I like, I guess. I try to ignore the fact that they've known each other for less than a week and all that, and try to believe that they love each other. When you look at it that way, it's actually a little bit... sweet. Though I would absolutely hate for my lover to kill themselves if I died.

**_i wouldn't know what to say if i had you, and i'll keep you a daydream away_ **

They finished watching the movie. Gray had tried to watch the movie in Natsu's perspective, and when he did, the movie was a lot better. He never would have thought that Natsu would be such a sap.

The two stood up, getting ready to leave the house. They agreed on heading to the coffee shop just around the corner. It was currently half-past seven, so, luckily for them, it was open. The two were tired, and Gray blamed Natsu completely for waking him up. Natsu only laughed as the two left the house, Gray locking it. Once he did, the two were walking down the streets, bickering as usual.

"You're crazy!" Natsu yelled out. "'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' is obviously the best Christmas movie. 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' isn't even a Christmas movie! You're thinking of the wrong holiday, Popsicle."

"Fine, what about 'The Polar Express'?" Gray asked as his eyes drooped. He looked ahead and found the shop, grabbing Natsu's arm and pulling him in.

"You're such a child!" Natsu remarked with a laugh as Gray pulled him in line. "'The Polar Express' is good, but The Grinch will always be number one."

"Oh, my gosh!" Gray pulled at his hair. "Do you ever shut up?" He was praying Natsu would never shut up. It was just a stupid comment he had to make to keep their bickering going.

As expected, Natsu grinned. "Nope! You're stuck with me forever!"

Gray rolled his eyes and faced the front, letting out a small smile. He really hoped he would be stuck with the pinkette forever. It was dumb, but Gray was tired of dealing with his situation like this. Yet, he still didn't dare do anything to change it.

**_just watch from a safe place so i never have to lose_ **

Once they grabbed their coffees, they sat down at a booth. Natsu took a sip and immediately switched his drink with Gray's, his tongue sticking out because of the taste. "Keep your black coffee to yourself."

Gray rolled his eyes for the millionth time that morning but said nothing. The two sat in silence as they drank their drinks. Gray was fine with the quietness between them, he always was. Natsu, however, seemed a little jittery.

"What, is the coffee getting to you already?" Gray teased as Natsu kicked his leg under the table. He groaned as he reached for his leg. "Ow."

"I bet I can drink more coffee than you," Natsu challenged with a glint in his green eyes. Gray knew the glint all too well and loved it with his heart.

"I'd like to see you try, Flame-Brain," he taunted as Natsu got ready to stand up. "But I've got this stupid hangover from last night and you keep making it worse. I don't understand how you never got this stupid headache and everything. It's all a part of the experience!"

Natsu shrugged and smirked. "Guess I can beat you at your own game, eh?"

"Shut up." This time, Gray kicked Natsu's leg. Natsu, who was taking a sip of his coffee, spit it out onto Gray's face and spilt the remaining drink onto his own shirt. Gray grabbed a tissue from the side and wiped his face. "You're so gross."

"You're grosser!" Natsu argued as he crossed his arms, ignoring the coffee covering his shirt. "It's what you deserve."

"Yeah, yeah."

Before Natsu could retort, his gaze fell to the door, which had just rung as a blond walked in. Natsu smiled and looked to Gray. "Jesus Christ. Hey...hey!"

"First off, cheese and rice. Secondly, what?" Gray followed Natsu's gaze to a man with blue eyes. Gray felt his heart drop as he realized what was about to happen.

"He's cute, right?" Before Gray could reply, Natsu stood up. Gray was going to try to stop him but then sighed. Gray should either admit his feelings or let Natsu be happy. There was no reason to keep him single if Gray wasn't going to do anything about it. "Wish me luck."

That was the last thing Gray heard as he watched Natsu walk up to the blond man, who seemed as equally as interested in him. Gray should've known— no, he did know. He should've accepted that this was bound to happen.

**_you're just a daydream away; i wouldn't know what to say if i had you_ **  
  
  
  


**_-edited-_ **

**and there's the 7338-word one shot! i don't think i've ever written so many words in a chapter... anyway, i hope you enjoyed it... if you read it or whatever. new gratsu book coming somewhere around february, after exams and stuff**

**p.s. the word "unusual" is a little bit weird to write... i don't know**


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